Golf club design has increasingly relied on sophisticated materials and manufacturing processes that permit club designs to precisely target club mechanical properties. For example, perimeter weighted iron type club designs provide large sweet spots that substantially reduce the adverse consequences of off-center hits. Designers can place club head mass so as provide a desired center of mass or moment of inertia to provide a preferred ball launch angle or to provide forgiveness with respect to off-center hits.
Clubs are commonly fitted to players so that the benefits associated with these sophisticated designs can be achieved for players of all skill levels. Thus, golfers can choose from a variety of designs that offer broad ranges of capabilities, select designs appropriate for their individual needs, and individualize clubs with respect to loft and lie angles, shaft lengths, and shaft flex.
Although club mechanical properties have been significantly improved, other club characteristics have not seen similar advances. The ball striking required at all skill levels in golf involves precise hand-eye coordination. If a player is unable to accurately and repeatedly align club and ball, the features provided by modern club designs can improve performance, but not eliminate the consequences of mishits. Thus, new approaches that permit more accurate and repeatable alignment are needed.